Process of treating ore.



IATBNTED AUG. 4, 190s.-

J. H. REID. PROCESS oF HEATING om: APPLIOATIOII'IAILBD APB. 1. N07' 2 SHEETS-SHEET i.A

NJOHN i l -i l I enocsss 0F TREATING ons.

Specification of Letters iitent.

Patented Img. 4, 19GB.-

Application tiled April 1. 1907. Serial Nu.365,182.v

To all whom. 'it may concern:

Be it k1-o\ 'n that l, Janss llnxur Rini). of Cornwall, iii the county of Stormont, lrovince of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Processes of Treating Ore, of which the following is a specification.

)ly invention relates to a process for tre-.itin;y orc or like substances for the'extraction of the valuable minerals thcrei-i and the rccovery of the ity-products: and the objects ol' in}- invention are, to provide a simple and ellicient rocess for subJecting complex ini-P erals to t. ie action of heat, chemical ref-agents and elcctricit)r in one and the same appara- -tus, the various successive steps being simultaeonsly carried out and the 'different coustituents separately recovered.

The. separation and retinnig of the, metals and other elements in compound minerals, as

at prisent carried out, is an ex(:ccdi.igl v tedious, complicated uid costly process, and although the utiliz/.ation of the heat and the influence of an electric current has facilitated the process, considerablv, hvet the disadvantage still remains that the iirocess not sufvlicienthv cozceiitrat-ed, and before each metal can be-obtitiicd in ny separate und pure state, it is necessary to pass the metal through a considerable number of diiierent forms of ap paratus, each very ingeniously designed to accomplish one particular process. ll'hat is gained, however, in the adaptability of the. in-

dividual apparatus, is lost b v the. inexactiess and teiliousiicss of the process ii whole, the transfer of the ore from ogic apparatus to the next, frequently causes such changes in the physical or chemical constitution ol the mi?.- erals as to place a gap in the continuity of the process, entiiiliiig a waste of material or au undesirable electrical or chemical cmnbin=i tion. `'there accuracy was obtained in tl'is process, time and commercial propriety were lost, and in man)v minerals it was prolitablc only to recover the most valuable metals,

leaving the remainder as a waste residue.

According to in pinvention, the, extraction is produced by'succcssivelv submittingr the ore in u crude or prepared state to the etl'ects of :t number of electric arcs each capable of independent regulation of intensity and quaitity, havingr currents of successively increasing intensity, acting on the ore where necessary with suitable re-:igents while under the action of the electric arc und vithdrawing the sublimed or.. volatile products Y separately from each nrc iu succession for' further action in rcliiuing, comlcnsiition, or storing. To accomplish this, l form a chain-- ber about each electric. are, tliegdill'erezit so chambers discharging into each other and each hei-.ig prmv'idi-i-l with well-knowiirstrumentalities for introducing rfi-agents a id witlnlrawinty the volatile products.

'lhe easiest suhlimed metal or elementin the ore will be freed in the tirst chamber and the residue ,cfradualliv dropping,r into the next chamber will be there acted on b vauyv neces'- sary riz-agents und an electric current to produce such a temperature as will free the next. amenable metal or element.. This processis rcpentedin the succeeding clniiiibers until finally all the desirable elements are recovered, the number of stages depending on the complexity of the ore and the character of thc clement-s therein.

Where necessary, a suitable: flux may bc introduced between two successive steps in the process in order to better facilitate the extraction of the elements-desired.

,An einbodimcutof the apparatus for carrying ont in v 'process is illustrated in the acconipiiiiying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is i1 sectional view of the. appa riitus. Fig; 2 is o view ot' u modified form of' .r' the invention having menus for introducing.' it [lux or otherwise treating"y the ore between two successive steps in the process.

' Referring to the ap aratus shown iii Fig. l, it will be obscrved'tiat it is constructed in three separately formed sections B, and (l, superimposed on cach other and similar in form, each havingr inclined conical bottoms o, b, und c, with central apertures d, andf, through which the orel may pass. 2o

A suitable feeding hopper l) is provided at. the top of the npparatus and a. suitable supporting bose E is provided atthc bottom thereof.

Each of the treating chambers, or sections mo B and C, are provided with well-kruiwi instrumentalties for heating, introducing ri-agents and withdrawing.; the volatileI or sublimod produc-ts. 'llie heating' menus illustrated are electrodes -F and G which ex- W5 tend through the walls of each chamber and are regulated by suitablel means, such as a standard g journalod in bearings i. ou castingsi und operatii through straps secured to the electrodes. 110

' sesgos chamber, it is subjected to suci The volatile iproducts are withdrawn by any suitable we -known means through ou tlet ipes H in each chamber.

eI introduction of re-agents in. the embodiment illustrated, is effected through nozzles n., o and 7J, connected to vali-'cd conducting pipes k, `l and m, adapted to supply the re-agents in a liquid, gaseous, or finely powdered fstate under pressure, Veignet', as desired. y

For withdrawing theultimate products after passage through the apparatus, -any conveying belt may be provided'operating below the apcrturein the lowest-chamber.

Where it is necessary to introduce e iux, oriotherwise treatv the ore between two heating o erat-ioi'is, the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 wil be employed. In this, the conveying belt I passes through the treating Chambord' "and discharges the ore into the hopper K of a second apparatus similar to the i'irst, in ,which the process may be further carried on to any desired extent. In carryin out my improved process, the ore in, a crut e or prepared state, is fed into the top hopper. Passing throu h the first temperature as will free the easiest sublirhed element which it is desired to recover," *Where the character of the element requires it, 'a suit able re-agent may be introduced int'o the ore through the nozzle n. while theiorle is hcing subjected to the action of thexelectric current. The residue of the ore, afterthis element lias'- been extracted will pass into the second chamber where the temperature Awill be raised' and the treatment made suitable for i. the extraction of the next amenable element,

which will be withdrawn in a volatile state through the outlet pipe H'. -This process is continued in each successive chamber, the apparatus being,r generally desi ned with reference to the-particular oreito c treated and having,r a sidlicient number of sections to accom )lish the separate recovery of each desired element. In certain cases,` before some of the metals can be freed, it is necessary to add a flux to the ore, and this could be accomplished conveniently by the' apparatus shown in Fig. 2, in which the ilux will be introduced during passage through the treating chamber J.

It will be observed that the process throughout is carried out in one continuous operation in a single apparatus, @achete-f nient in the ore beingr recovered separately Vand being treated for at thc cractltem'perature at which its recovery' can be most etlicientl l made. The temperature of each 6 chain er and the means for introducing reagents therein are independently controlled for eaclrchiimbcr, enabling the process to be carried out with a great degree of exactiiess.

. It willfurther be observed that very little 65 of the ore will be in contact with the wall of the chamber, as it passes through in prae tically ancontinuous stream and is'only vretarded at the different points where it is` acted onby the electric arc. I i 7 What I claim as my invention is:'-

l. The herein described process of treating ore, which consists-in Missing the ore in a continuous stream through a number of electrio arcs-producing difl'erent temperatures, I independently and separately withdrawing. the volatile iroducts freed at each :irc :ind indelpendentlly treating the dillercntvolatile prot ucts after withdrawal.

2. The herein described process of treat- 8 ing ore, which consists in passing the ore in. a continuous stream through a number of electric arcs, introducing reagents while iindei"tlieaction of the said arcs, independently and withdrawing` separately, -tlie vola- S tile roducts freed by cach arc and independrently treating the dilicrent volatile. products after withdrawal., l J3., The herein described process of treating,r ore, which consists iii passing the ore in a continuous strc-.ani.through-a, number of different and simultaneously.operated electric arcs, introducing reagents into the ore.

-while-under the action of cei'tain of the arcs,

independently ,and `withdrawin sepai'ately'9 the volatile products subliined )y each arc and` independently treat-ing the different vvolatile products 4afterwithdrawal. 4. The herein described iroeess of treating ore, which consists in electrically crcat- 1 ingdifi'crcnt zones of temperature about a. falling 4strcani'of the'orc', independently and' separately withdrawingr the volatile products sublimcd in caclrzoiie, as 'and' for the; purpose specified and ini'lcpcndently.treat-1 ing the different voliitiicp'roducts after withdrawal. =1l Signed' at Ottawa', in thc Province of Ontario, this 20th dayot March, 1907.

; JAiiics nenni' inno.

, Witnesscsz Russin. Smm', `WM. A.- WYMAN. 

